Passing By
by misscam
Summary: The past is a different country, he told her once. She hopes he doesn't mind her passing by. [NineRose, hints of TenRose.]


Passing By  
by Camilla Sandman

Author's Note: Set after "Parting of the Ways". Implies that Ten told Rose what really happened afterwards.

II

"This is such a bad idea."

"Please?"

"Promise me you won't change anything."

"I won't change anything. I promise. I just want to see him... See you... As him one last time."

"I never could say no to you, could I?"

"No."

II

Somehow, the day seems darker than she remembers it, Rose thinks. But when she first lived this day, she didn't know what she knows now.

The past is a different country, he told her once. She hopes he doesn't mind her passing by.

The past is the planet of Fortina, the TARDIS making a little pit stop. She went off with Jack to see the locals for the day, the Doctor stayed to tinker with the TARDIS. She didn't really return until the evening.

Enough time to return now.

The New Doctor, as she still calls him still, he has taken her here, warning her all the way. mustn't change the past. Mustn't make it possible for the Daleks to survive. Mustn't, mustn't, mustn't. But she must this. One little thing she has to have.

And he seems somehow to understand or know, and he's parked the TARDIS out of the view of the other one and let her do as she must.

She wonders if he's jealous of himself. She's certainly jealous of the Rose of this time, so much still ahead.

So much pain too, but he is there with it.

The TARDIS of the past is as the present one, except one little change.

He's humming. He's humming the Glen Miller tune, occasionally accompanied by the clang of metal on metal. For a moment, just hearing him is enough.

He pokes his head out suddenly from underneath, and the grin is there and the leather jacket and the jumper and the hands she's held so many times.

"I thought you and Jack went off to be merry?" he says, looking untroubled. "Bored already? I've shown you so much you're starting to get picky on me now?"

"I miss you," she blurts out and kneels down, searching his eyes. 

"What, so soon? How did you ever get by without me?"

"I have no idea," she mutters, trying to keep the grief and joy from her voice. He must detect something anyway, for he looks up at her with a faint frown.

"Something wrong? Is the beast of Fna come a century too early? Did you accidentally open for an alien invention? Did Jack seduce another planet leader? Do I have to make a housecall?" He pauses, giving her a long look. "Did a time storm change your clothes?"

"No, no, not yet, _I'm_ calling on _you_ and no. I just changed for... Special occasion."

She doesn't mention it's the best clothes she could find. He doesn't need to get his ego inflated even more.

"Did I miss your birthday? Did I miss mine?"

"Nah. But this day won't come again. That makes it a special occasion."

"Now you sound like one of my people," he replies and disappears in under TARDIS again.

"Isn't that good?"

"No. I rebelled."

"That explains the leather jacket," she grins and he comes sliding out again, a finger raised.

"Oi! No mocking the leather jacket. You should have seen what else I've worn."

'I've seen what you will wear,' she thinks, 'does that count?'

Before she can let that thought settle and him slide under TARDIS again, she takes hold of the jacket and feels the warmth he's imprinted on it. The warmth he's imprinted on her. The warmth now gone, changed.

"Rose?"

Mustn't change the past. Mustn't bugger it all up. Mustn't...

She kisses him. He seems too surprised to resist and after a moment, she feels his hand on her neck, pressing her closer. Warm lips, not alien against hers, never alien. Even his pulse thundering louder than her own seems somehow normal.

She knows his kiss, strange as it seems in the light of reason.

"Rose?" he says again, a whisper against her lips. "We shouldn't... I don't... You're..."

"This never happened," she whispers back and he looks at her for a moment, his hand resting on her cheek and his eyes ever on her.

"Yes," he agrees and then his lips are on hers again and it doesn't matter that the light of TARDIS is unflattering or that the steel grate is burrowing into her knees, or that her back aches. Doesn't matter that he's from Gallifrey and she's from Earth, not when her hand can fit in his and his mouth is hers to explore.

She's vaguely aware that he pushes himself up, still kissing her and letting her straddle him as he lifts her from the floor.

She can feel his hands find her skin, pushing away clothing, making a map of her by touch. She pushes her own hands inside his jumper, feeling the smooth skin of his chest and the storm that is his heartbeats.

Maybe he is alien in some ways after all. Not that she's complaining.

"Rose Tyler," he says and her eyelids burn when he touches them. "Don't let go."

He's humming at the back of his throat and she can feel it in her skin too, as if he's making a song between them.

Don't let go. Ride the storm.

"Yes, Doctor," she whispers and clings to him, closing her eyes to everything else.

The past is a different country and it's brighter than the sun.

II

The TARDIS is humming too, she notices some time later, resting her head against the Doctor's chest and letting the embers settle in her body.

"Your ship's a bit kinky."

"And don't you love it?" he replies, drawing a complicated pattern on her back with his fingers.

She laughs, but the laughter fades as he takes her head in his hands.

"You're not my Rose, are you?"

Tears are coming unbidden and she tries to blink them away, but he still notices. She never could hide from him.

"Thought so. Did I die?"

"Yes."

He breathes slowly, then smiles faintly. "Am I more handsome then?"

"No."

"Good answer. But lie to me in the future, yeah? Save my ego."

"Yeah," she manages to say, pushing herself up on her elbows. "Now I know what you were smiling about that whole day."

"I'm going to be smiling about repairing my ship."

"Riiiiight."

"I never lie!"

"You lied when you..." she bites back the rest, feeling his words, his words of the future echo in her. mustn't change anything. She could end up making it worse. She could kill him again.

She could make him live.

She could kill him for good.

She can't risk that, mustn't risk that.

She pushes herself off and finds her clothes without looking at him, feeling his eyes burn against her back all the while. Finally, when she does turn, he's leaning against the TARDIS wall and not even a shadow of a smile on his lips.

"I'm sorry," he says, taking her hand and the warmth of his skin is as it's always been, as it'll never be again. "I'm sorry I'll lie to you. I'm sorry I'll have to. I'm sorry I have to change."

"I know," she whispers and kisses him one last time.

"Do I keep you safe?"

"Yes."

He nods, once. "That's all that matters."

'No, it isn't. Don't die!' she wants to scream. 'Don't change.'

"You should probably go. The other you could be back soon. I'm not sure I could explain this to her."

"Tell her the past is a different country and I was just... Revisiting the sights..."

"It was a pleasure having you pass by, Rose Tyler," he replies, letting her hand go, giving her one last grin. "Come again."

She can't, and he knows it, probably because it's written all over her face.

"Don't kiss the bad wolf," she whispers in his ear and flees.

Don't let go. Take it with.

Goodbye, Doctor.

II

"I told him not to kiss the bad wolf."

"I know. I remember."

"You did it anyway."

"Yes. To keep you safe."

"So did I. Guess that leaves us stuck with each other."

"Yep. And where to now, Rose Tyler? Your wish is my command."

"Somewhere... Different. Barcelona?"

"Barcelona! Did I tell you about the dogs..."

"With no noses, yes."

"Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Am I more handsome now?"

"Totally."

"Good answer."

FIN


End file.
